cutestory

As an excuse to purchase a bunch of cooking gear, Thanksgiving isn't a bad holiday.

Shit. I've been found out! No, kidding, what's the point in dropping names if I don't actually drop the name? I took freshman expository writing with Colson "Chip" Whitehead (he doesn't go by "Chip" anymore, ha!). At the time, I had no idea he would go on to write one of my favorite books, The Intuitionist (still his best, IMO). Last time I saw him was at our 10th reunion (um, 11 years ago). Yikes. I'm older than I've ever been and now I'm even older...

Wow, an amusing infographic with someone I graduated from college with on it. Now I feel both old and like an underachiever. Thanks, goodreads infographic.

I CAN'T STOP SAYING THIS.

Alexandre Desplat — The Ghost Writer

Caramelized carrot soup blew people's minds (including my own). See here, served with tarragon on top and a side of pressure-cooked garlic confit on La Brea Bakery sourdough: Clockwise, from the top: stuffing puree, sweet potato puree, fingerling potatoes confit (in duck fat), sous vide turkey breast, sous vide turkey thigh confit (also in duck fat), and deep fried brussels sprouts in the center. The whole thing is garnished with carbonated cranberries. Everything was fantastic, but I don't recommend making an entire holiday menu from dishes you've never made before...we didn't start eating until 6:30 pm, and folks were almost at the point of getting cranky.

Amon Tobin — Bricolage

FWIW, I wouldn't check it. Stuff can disappear, especially shinies.

^ Aw, I thought you mades it! I did make some recently with that Jim Beam Red Stag, and they came out pretty nice...

About to sit down with a large group of friends, get extremely drunk, and watch the train wreck that is Liz & Dick. Will report back later.

Shelly, can Jeffy get the recipe for those ribses? He loves Dr. Pepper-based anything. Why is he speaking about himself in the third person? STOP IT. Shelly, can I get the recipe for those ribses?

This just in: PWD -> DSHA-1b -> LCD-2 fixed the noise problem with the Bryston. Doug said it was best just to max the volume on the amp and use the volume control on the PWD, which works fantastically. Completely noiseless. This shit sounds bananas. In a good way. Not the best match for my JH13s, but I have other amps for them. With the LCD-2s, the DSHA smokes the Bryston like a pack of Kools. Anyone with LCD-2s out there needs to give the DSHA-1 a serious listen.

I'll be happy to give my thoughts of a freq'd 16 vs my old 13s once they come in...

Amen.

...or I guess I could set it to unity and use my DAC as a preamp.

I guess I could ask. I wasn't sure they kept impressions after the order was complete...

Looks like Birgir was right—apparently 12 o'clock (well, "12 -1 o'clock," according to Bryston's rep over at the other place) is unity gain, so it looks like the attenuator is doing something nasty to the signal below that threshold. I'm waiting to hear back (indirectly) from Bryston engineering; I fear their response may be to "use less sensitive or efficient headphones." I know one person not having the problem, even using IEMs. He's also using a balanced connection with his IEMs: UERMs (112dB@1mW, 21 ohms @ 1kHz). Are my 13 Pros (116dB@1mW, 28 Ohms@1kHz) different enough spec-wise that this problem would manifest itself only on my side? Anyway, I'll finally get to plug in my DSHA-1b today, so I've got that goin' for me. Which is nice.

^ Great minds, etc.

I actually made one final change before submitting. The right one is as above, but now the left one is solid black (instead of blue). Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Did not wait. Ordered 16s without the 3A today. Don't believe I need the 3A anymore with the Freqphasing; I have two great (and soon to be three) portable amps already. WTF do I need with an amp I can't use with anything else, even if it's tailor-made? At least that's what I told myself. Good luck with your decision!

I'll stop drinking when I'm sober.

My 13s are fine; I saw a few tiny bubbles here and there, but no lines—they've been sturdy for the 1.5 years I've had them, and I like their sound. If I thought JHAudio cut corners in manufacturing depending on the visibility of materials, I probably wouldn't be buying from them in the first place. I think I finally have a winner:

^ Hmm I was thinking that was actually a great idea, but I took a look at their IEM galleries and wasn't that impressed with the quality of their printing. I tried this: But I'll prolly end up just doing this: Maybe change the JHAUDIO on the left one to blue...only a few hours left to decide!

I think I'm gonna go simple. Thoughts? My JH13s are like the ones in the middle, but translucent and with no art.

Leftover sous vide turkey ftw.